Former Politicians Urge Merger of Swedish Liberals and Centre Party

Both The Liberals and The Center Party are seeking new leaders after internal crises and declining opinion polls.

In a post for DN Debatt, among others, the former party leaders of The Liberals, Bengt Westerberg and Maria Leissner, write that a strong centrist alternative is needed to protect the rule of law, promote free trade, and counter the influence of extremist parties.

They warn that otherwise, The Social Democrats and The Moderate Party risk continued dependence on parties like The Sweden Democrats or The Left Party.

At the same time, they note that a similar attempt was made, but that the conditions are now better. The new party leaders are therefore urged to open up for cooperation and long-term merger. The signatories include several former members of parliament and ministers, such as Ingemar Eliasson and Hadar Cars.